Forecasted strong winds prompt weather warning

Strong wind gusts of up to 70 km/h are expected to hit southern interior of the province including the Okanagan and the East Kootenay region on Friday night, according to Environment Canada.

Environment Canada issued a special weather warning on Thursday afternoon calling for the strong wind gusts that will accompany a cold front that is forecasted to sweep across the region.

“So we’ve got a strong cold front moving through the province and with that we’re going to have strong winds accompanying that front,” said Lisa Erven, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Gusts of up to 60 km/h are expected ahead of the front on Friday afternoon, while stronger gusts of 70 km/h are expected as it passes overnight.

The stronger winds expected to gust up to 70 km/h or more is forecasted for the Okanagan Lake system, however, Erven says moderate southwesterly winds will be blowing through the Kootenay on Friday afternoon. Northwesterly winds gusting 30-50 km/h are forecasted to blow overnight as the front passes.

The special weather warning statement also encourages boaters to re-visit any open-water recreation plans on Friday afternoon and evening.

Temperatures are expected to hit highs above 30 degrees C over the next week, while Saturday will be a slightly cooler day with a high of 26 degrees, according to a forecast from Environment Canada.